The New Old Disease: Hepatitis C 

By Aimee Swartz


Closing the Gap, First Summit Packs the House • January/February 2003


Aresearc

s a disease that has infected nearly four million Americans, a 

disproportionate number of whom are African American and 

Hispanic, hepatitis C is deservedly gaining attention in the 

h and the public health arenas. 

The hepatitis C virus (HCV) causes inflammation of the liver. 

The majority of people infected with HCV experience chronic infection (defined as detection of the virus in the blood over a 6-month 

period) with no symptoms. If symptoms are present, they may be very 

mild and flu-like, such as nausea, fatigue, loss of appetite, fever, headaches, and abdominal pain. HCV virus is now the most common 

blood-borne infection in the U.S. Infection now occurs mostly through 

injection drug use, high-risk sexual behaviors, occupational exposures 

such as accidental needle sticks and mother-to-infant transmission. 

HCV’s incubation period varies from two to 26 weeks. Liver 

enzyme test results may vary from being elevated to normal for weeks 

or even a year. During this period, the virus is in the blood and may 

be causing liver cell damage, and the infected person can transmit the 

disease to others. The good news is that in 1995 an antibody test for 

HCV was finally implemented nationwide. However, the majority of 

people infected with HCV go undetected until their liver is involved. 

“African Americans, in particular, have been shown to underutilize 

screening and treatment services and often present with more advanced disease than Caucasians,” said Thelma King Thiel, chairman 

and CEO, Hepatitis Foundation. “Rates of infection are high, and 

outcomes are often worse.” 

Kicking Hepatitis C 

In response to this issue, the Hepatitis Foundation partnered 

with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to develop HCV prevention videos. The videos are aimed at catching people 

before they become infected and emphasize prevention. “Hepatitis C 

must be a priority,” said Thiel. “Awareness of the disease is so low, 

which is why we’ve developed our educational videos.” 

Community-based STD clinics are encouraged to show The Invisible Threat and The Silent Stalker to teach clients how to avoid highrisk behaviors and symptoms of the virus. “We try to show them the 

importance of the liver because many people just don’t know,” said 

Thiel. “Children, especially, don’t understand the importance of their 

livers.” 

The Hepatitis Foundation also produced a video aimed at children and youth, Respect Yourself—Protect Yourself. The video promotes 

taking responsibility for one’s own health care and helps teens identify 

risky behaviors and liver-damaging activities. 

“We have to start lifestyle changes before kids are involved in 

high-risk behaviors,” Theil explained. “We have an obligation to help 

kids stay healthy.” 

The videos, which are available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, 

and Mandarin, as well as an “urban” version, can be found on the 

Hepatitis Foundation website. 

In October 2002, the Foundation launched a partnership 

through which middle schools and high schools in Montgomery 

County, MD, will adopt a liver wellness program using information 

and videos provided by the Hepatitis Foundation. “We anticipate 

that this kind of collaboration will really take off in schools throughout the county,” Thiel said. “Our videos have been recognized by the 

CDC, as well as other health agencies, for being an excellent resource 

in promoting hepatitis C prevention.” 

“We need to change the way people think about hepatitis C. We 

need to think more about prevention and diagnosis than treatment,” 

Thiel said. “It is crucial to catch it before it becomes chronic. We need 

to prevent it, but if we miss out there, then we need to diagnose it 

within the first two weeks.” 

The Hepatitis Foundation also provides education, training programs, and materials for the public, patients, health educators, and 

medical professionals. In addition, it supports hepatitis research and 

maintains a patient support network, a toll-free hotline, a database of 

hepatitis support groups and a comprehensive website. 

For more information about the Hepatitis Foundation, go to 

http://www.hepatitisfoundation.org or call 800-891-0707. 

For more information about the CDC’s hepatitis programming, call 

888-4-HEP-CDC.

The New Old Disease: Hepatitis C is based on the Summit workshop


The New Old Disease: Hepatitis C, Wednesday, July 10, 2002.


Office of Minority Health Resource Center U.S. Department of Health and Human Services